Mel Mandel has had a 35 year love affair with his Honda CB750 Turbo. We met Mel back in 1978 and we still stay in touch. To say Mel is devoted to his art is an understatement. We use the word "art" because at this point it has gone beyond madness or obsession, so it must be art. We used to kid him about putting a tape recorder on his bike when he parked it at the Rock Store up on Mulholland Drive, telling him it would save him time talking about his laundry list of special equipment. Mel was in on turbos at the start and he never left. When the bikes went all plastic he stayed the course with his trusty Honda. When his motor got outgunned he switched to a Byron Hines built GS1150 motor to keep him in front of the pack. Mel raced the bike and showed the bike. It was featured in every magazine and calendar ever done about motorcycles. To say it was or still is the most seen or talked about turbo bike on the planet would not be an understatement.
